June 10, 2011

Inventing new mutations

There never seem to be enough of them... mutations I mean. Although Gaia Gamma will contain many dozens (most likely far more than 100) mutations you probably will soon want to invent new mutations. Today I would like to present the simple rules I devised for that. They are inspired by Nexus: The Infinite City, a roleplaying game I heartily recommend for anyone interested in strange parallel universes and genre mixes (and the precursor to Feng Shui - another great RPG).Here we go with the rules for inventing new mutations in Gaia Gamma:

It’s up to the Mutant Master to invent new mutations. The following guidelines should be respected:

New mutations should not cause any existing mutation to become completely useless (for the same MP cost).

New mutation should be aligned to the damage potential of existing mutations.

New mutations should not enable time travel or other reality altering effects (such power was even beyond that of the Ancients - at least as far as character creation time goes... you never can know during the actual campaign).

The most difficult question probably is about determining the cost in MP for a mutation power. Use the following guidelines to calculate the total MP cost:

+1 MP if the mutation is very versatile (e.g. telekinesis)

+1 MP if the mutation causes damage or protects from damage (e.g. claws or armor plates)

+1 MP if the mutation has a ranged effect (e.g. laser beams from the eyes)

+1 MP if the mutation has an area of effect (e.g. fire breath)

+1 MP if the mutation is highly useful (e.g. telepathy)

+1 MP if the mutation works automatically without the need for activation

+1 MP if the mutation is associated with a mutation skill and thus can be improved

Again that's it. Simple and straightforward as far as I am concerned. What do you think?